The Minnesota Vikings invested a ton in tight end T.J. Hockenson prior to the 2023 season, enough that he remains among the top four highest paid at the position in terms of average annual value, per Spotrac.
The Vikings have been leaning on Hockenson for more than just his game-breaking abilities in the passing game in 2025. Injuries up front have necessitated more help from the tight ends at the line of scrimmage, and head coach Kevin O’Connell stressed the importance of getting Hockenson more involved this week with the Vikings as healthy as they’ve been since Week 1.
“For T.J., I would put a lot of things he does well ahead of helping on the edges. It’s kind of a necessary thing when certain games and situations happen, but there’s no question we want him to be heavily involved in the game.”
Sunday’s monster road win over the NFC North rival Detroit Lions wasn’t exactly the Hockenson breakout game fans were hoping for. It may have been enough, though, to shut down speculation over the star tight end getting traded prior to Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
Minnesota Vikings saved season with win over Detroit Lions, thanks in part to T.J. Hockenson
It’s been fair for Vikings fans to wonder whether their No. 1 tight end could get moved prior to deadline day.
This December, Hockenson will be two full years removed from the brutal knee injury that ended his 2023 season, and also claimed the first eight weeks of 2024; he’s shown flashes of his old self since, but he’s still clearly working his way back physically from torn ACL and MCL ligaments in his right knee.
Through nine games, Hockenson is averaging less than six yards per target. Not everything has been in his control, but it’s undeniable that 29 receptions for 233 yards and two touchdowns in half a season is below the standard for a player of Hockenson’s stature.
He only had two catches for 11 yards on Sunday, including a rough drop on third down. The good news? He helped young quarterback J.J. McCarthy finish off a monster touchdown drive late in the first quarter; Hockenson’s seven-yard touchdown reception in the back of the end zone gave the Vikings a rare lead at Ford Field — and one they would never relinquish.
When J.J. McCarthy hit T.J. Hockenson for his second touchdown of the first quarter on Sunday, it was the first time the #Vikings had led at Ford Field since Dec. 5, 2021, when a winless Lions team came back to beat them in Mike Zimmer's final game in Detroit.
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) November 3, 2025
Hockenson will have better days in the box score going forward. His value to the team, both as a safety valve for McCarthy and as a selfless locker room leader for O’Connell, makes it extremely unlikely that the team would consider moving him before Tuesday's trade deadline.
After Sunday’s galvanizing win, the Vikings have too much to play for to be selling off key pieces this year.